Happy Birthday to Me

July 24th is my birthday. Every year, students from my story-writing classes would gather worldwide, and we would celebrate in Las Vegas or Los Angeles. This plan was interrupted by the pandemic, but they are managing to reach me again this year. I want to take a civilized two-week vacation and rest.

Yesterday, however, I saw Patrick. He had disappeared for a week. I wasn't like always, relying on the birds to know where he was. I thought of him once or twice, then got busy with my work.

Yesterday, for a moment, Patrick's swimming cap fell off his head, and his hair got messed up. He reminds me of someone; I don't know who? Because suddenly time stopped for me, I stared at him, and when he went underwater, and his hair got tidy, I reached out and tousled his hair. I asked him if his hair was straight or curly when he was young. He said curly.

I told him it is my birthday, my students had booked a hotel, and I won't be home for a week. It doesn't matter to him whether I'm home or not. He asked, how old are you turning, seventy or...? I told Patrick I don't know how old I am. The story is that when I wanted a passport in Iran, the passport office incorrectly wrote my name. I fixed it after much pleading and spending a lot of money, and the second time, they had incorrectly converted my birth year to the Gregorian calendar. I didn't follow up on their error, as my lawyer suggested, because he said they might want money or not want to let me go. So, I had two birth dates, one Persian and one English, 1952 and 1954. you can count whichever one you want.

I know none of it matters to him. It doesn't matter to him how old I am

He said I'll see you on Friday, I said, I don't think so. He said maybe you'd come; I said not sure.

I'm shutting down the internet for these two weeks and going to observe the world like someone who's just come out of a cave.

By the way, Tanya has come from Ukraine, and her daughters have gotten their visas. The Snowwoman has bought their airplane tickets. I'll write her story in detail.

Friends, I've made many mistakes in my life, but I have not been idle. If I've gone astray, it's been due to a lack of knowledge. I love myself, but I haven't taken good care of myself.

Happy birthday to me. And happy birthday to all of you."